OXFORD — The best way to put Texas A&M's run defense in perspective is to consider what the Aggies have done against some of the most talented rushing offenses in the country.

On Sept. 8, Texas A&M held Clemson to 115 rushing yards, 169 yards below its average in all other games. On Sept. 22, Texas A&M limited Alabama to 109 rushing yards, 129 yards fewer than its average in all other games. On Oct. 6, Texas A&M stymied Kentucky to 70 rushing yards, 146 yards fewer than its average in all other games. And last week, Texas A&M contained Auburn to just 19 rushing yards, 153 yards fewer than its average in all other games.

Those are some of the best rushing attacks in the country. Clemson's Travis Etienne is No. 6 in the FBS in yards per carry and No. 2 in rushing touchdowns. Kentucky's Benny Snell is the only player in the SEC, and one of nine in the country, with more than 1,000 rushing yards. Alabama has four running backs with more than 250 yards, two of whom are averaging more than 6 yards per carry.

And Texas A&M has stymied all of their rushing attacks. Which is the challenge Ole Miss faces on Saturday when the Rebels travel to Kyle Field with an upset on the mind against the Aggies.

"Their record doesn't show how they've been playing on defense," Ole Miss left tackle Greg Little said Wednesday. "They've shut teams out against the run all year. That's our goal to come in there and run the ball. We have a goal for our running back to get 1,000 yards and we can do that this game."

It hasn't been talked about much, but Ole Miss is quietly having its most efficient rushing season in more than 60 years. Behind running back Scottie Phillips and quarterback Jordan Ta'amu, Ole Miss is averaging 5.28 yards per carry this season. If that mark holds, it'll be the best Ole Miss season by yards per carry since 1957, when John Vaught's 9-1-1 Rebels ran for more than 3,000 yards on 5.32 yards per carry.

Phillips in particular has been a great find for Ole Miss this season. He trails only Snell and Texas A&M's Trayveon Williams in rushing yards among SEC players, and leads the conference in rushing touchdowns with 12. Among SEC running backs with at least 100 carries, only Georgia's Elijah Holyfield is posting a higher yards per carry than Phillips' 6.32.

That's the rushing attack Ole Miss has been able to sustain this season. And while the mark has dipped in SEC play, as you'd expect, it hasn't been by as much as you'd think. Ole Miss is averaging 4.35 yards per carry against SEC opponents. By comparison, the 2014 Rebels that made it all the way to the Peach Bowl averaged 4.25 yards per carry for the entire season.

"They just play good, hard-nosed football," Little said. "Bama, they're usually pretty strong so they come out and lock out and pull their gaps. These guys do that, plus they penetrate and move and stuff. So they're very versatile."

Ole Miss coach Matt Luke said one of the things that differentiates Texas A&M's front seven from the likes of Alabama and Auburn is how quick they play. But they also play heavy, making it hard to generate a downfield push, and they use their hands well, making blocks harder to sustain for long periods.

In Texas A&M defensive coordinator Mike Elko's scheme, Aggies defenders are often freed up because of the varied looks the defense can give. Luke said Texas A&M's defense almost always has an extra defender in the box to stop the run, but that's disguised well because it's rarely clear if that extra defender is going to be a linebacker, a cornerback or a safety until the ball is snapped.

Which is why Luke says variety is going to be key to keeping Ole Miss' offense afloat.

"When you play against good defenses, if you get one-dimensional they can take that away quickly," Luke said. "If they don't know what you're doing and you can be balanced and you can keep them off-balance."

Of course, Ole Miss' pass offense will have a chance to thrive. The Rebels still have the No. 4 passing attack in the FBS, averaging 353 yards per game through the air. And Texas A&M's pass defense is middling, ranking No. 82 in the country. But as the Rebels saw last Saturday versus South Carolina, the offense works far better when defenses have to account for the run than when they can drop everyone in coverage.

Keeping that balance will likely be the decisive factor in the game Saturday for Ole Miss' offense. And for the offensive line to achieve its goal of getting Phillips the 77 yards he needs for 1,000.

Ole Miss Rebels running back Scottie Phillips (22) runs the ball against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the second quarter at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.